"Transformers" Smashes Box Office Record

Henry Tsai of Los Angeles wears an Optimus Prime uniform as he waits for a first-look midnight screening of the film "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" at Universal Citywalk AMC Cinemas in Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 23, 2009. The film opens nationwide on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" opened with $60.6 million domestically in its first day, a new high for a Wednesday debut, according to distributor Paramount.

The previous best Wednesday opening was $44.2 million for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" in 2007.

The "Transformers" sequel also came in with the second-biggest single-day revenues, behind only "The Dark Knight," with $67.2 million. "The Dark Knight" opened on a Friday.

Fans stayed up into the wee hours to be the first to see the "Transformers" sequel, which took in $16 million from midnight screenings alone.

Paramount projected the movie would follow with $25 million on Thursday and climb to at least $150 million by the end of the weekend. In just five days, that would put it to nearly half the $319 million total the first "Transformers" film did during its entire run in 2007.

The sequel reunites Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro and other co-stars as the humans again team up with the shape-shifting Autobots against their evil robot enemies, the Decepticons.